{"id":8589,"date":"2020-10-07T09:56:28","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T09:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ginx.tv\/philadelphia-fusion-doesn-t-believe-in-curses-as-coaches-and-players-tease-big-surprises-for-the-owl-grand-finals"},"modified":"2024-07-22T10:33:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T10:33:27","slug":"philadelphia-fusion-doesn-t-believe-in-curses-as-coaches-and-players-tease-big-surprises-for-the-owl-grand-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ginx.tv\/en\/philadelphia-fusion-doesn-t-believe-in-curses-as-coaches-and-players-tease-big-surprises-for-the-owl-grand-finals","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia Fusion doesn’t believe in “curses” as team tease big surprise for the OWL Grand Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Overwatch League Grand Finals will be held in South Korea this upcoming weekend starting 8th October with a unique format, as four teams (the top two from North America and Asia) will face off against each other in a double-elimination bracket to determine the Season 3 Champion.<\/p>\n

For many, the Philadelphia Fusion, one of NA’s representatives, has a lot to prove, and despite their impressive record in the overall season (24-2), they don’t come into the final four weekend as favourites by any stretch of the imagination, with their first opponents, the Shanghai Dragons, touted as the squad to beat. <\/p>\n

Always the bridesmaid never the bride<\/h3>\n

\"Philadelphia
(Photo: Hannah Smith\/ESPAT Media)<\/span><\/p>\n

Competing at the highest level since the inaugural season, making it to the Stage 2 and Grand Finals in 2018<\/a>, and the Summer Showdown, and Countdown Cup in 2020, Philly has yet to come out on top in any scenario, with fans speculating that this could become a heavy burden on the players and coaching staff, something Christopher Graham, assistant coach of the Fusion, categorically denies.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a press conference with GINX Esports TV<\/strong>, Graham said: “We cannot allow ourselves into a mindset where we believe the second phase curse is real. The only way for a curse to be real is if these guys [the players] let it into their heads.”<\/p>\n

He would then add that using spite as motivation shouldn’t be necessary, stating “if you’re playing in Grand Finals and need extra reason to be motivated, maybe this isn’t the best job for you anyway. There’s no element of ‘oh we can prove the doubters wrong’ or ‘we can break the curse’, what’s the point then?”<\/p>\n

Heesu, the joyful ace up Philly’s sleeve<\/h3>\n

Coming into Season 3, the wide array of talent making their way from the Tier 2 scene certainly took the spotlight all year round, with players like Paris Eternal’s Yeong-han “SP9RK1E” Kim, San Francisco Shock’s Seonchang “ANS” Lee, and Philly’s own Kyung-bo “Alarm” Kim having an immediate impact for their teams.<\/p>\n

One that perhaps slipped under the radar until very recently is former RunAway member Hee-su “Heesu” Jeong, with Christopher describing how his influence transcends what goes in-game, bringing an “infectious” positivity to the team’s environment.<\/p>\n

“One of the reasons why we’ve had success is bringing in young fun [players]. I think [Funny] Astro, Alarm, and Heesu have shown real enthusiasm, they’re really happy to be in the League, happy to be on the team, happy to play Overwatch and that becomes incredibly infectious around the team.”<\/p>\n